7 Years Later
by kellicb
Summary: Clois - dinner reservations at 7, don't be late


October 15, 2017

7:20pm

Lois rushes into the trendy Metropolis restaurant. "Hi, I'm meeting my husband," she tells the hostess as she pushes a couple of buttons on her Blackberry.

"Right this way," the hostess says as she leads Lois over to Clark.

"Lois...right on time," Clark says as he stands up and takes her jacket. "Thank you," he says to the hostess.

"I am?" she asks, glancing at the time on her Blackberry. "Very funny, Smallville...I'm not _that_ late. Besides, I was checking in on our daughter," she says while sitting down. Always the gentleman, he pushes her chair in for her.

Before he takes his seat, he leans down closer to her, which makes her look up. "Hi," he says.

She smiles back. "Hi."

He gives her a quick kiss.

"How was your day, honey?" he asks, taking his own seat.

"Strange...at least you were. You feeling better?" she asks, opening up the menu.

He chuckles. "Yes, I feel just fine. So, what was strange about me, today?"

She peers over the menu. "You mean besides the fact that you had on your Smallville High jacket, weren't wearing your glasses and kept saying you needed the Legion Ring to get "back"? Nothing, you were perfectly normal. Oh and you saved me without your uh...suit on?" she whispers the last part. "What was that about?"

He smiles and stares at his menu, shaking his head.

"Oh, by the way, did you remember to pick up our rings from the jeweler?" she asks when her thumb begins to rub her bare ring finger.

He nods and reaches into his suit pocket. "As a matter of fact..."

She sets her menu down and reaches her hand out. He drops his wedding ring into her hand and keeps a hold of hers.

"Not sure why you suddenly decided to get them reappraised this morning." She takes his left hand, remembering the first time she slid this ring on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," she says softly.

He smiles at her and takes her left hand. "My turn..." He lifts her left ring finger to his lips before sliding her ring on.

She keeps a hold of his hand and gently squeezes it. "Hey," she says until he looks up at her. "I meant it...are you feeling okay?"

He scoots his chair so that he's sitting a little closer to her and he can put his arm around her. "Yes, I'm fine. I'll explain it all once we order," he says, noticing the waiter walking over.

Once they've placed their order and have their drinks, Lois checks on their daughter one more time.

"You act like we've never left her with my mom before," Clark says. He pushes his glasses up. He hates these damn things.

"I've just been busy the last couple of weeks," she shrugs. "I miss her."

"Speaking of that, let's take some time this weekend and go away...all 3 of us. I can get Oliver to patrol..."

"This weekend?" she asks, thinking about her schedule. She starts to pull her Blackberry back out, but Clark stops her by grabbing her hand.

"Let's make it happen. No matter what. It doesn't matter where. We can just get a hotel room in the next town and let Caroline swim in the hotel pool...we can have breakfast at the Waffle House..."

She chuckles. "Okay. Sold. Screw my deadlines."

"Good," he says returning her smile. "Now, about today...there is something I should tell you."

"I'm listening," she says, sitting back.

"So, the "strange" Clark Kent that you saw today at The Planet...that was actually me from 7 years ago," he says, waiting for her reaction.

"What do you mean?" she asks cautiously.

"Well, back in 2010, the day of the Smallville High reunion..."

She nods, remembering that day well.

"Someone from the very distant future came back, using a Legion Ring, to make sure I saw my past, present and future."

"Really? Like "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" kind of thing?" she asks.

"Only you would equate it to that, but yeah, kinda...anyway, something went a little bit wrong and I ended up here, today, by myself without my futuristic tour guide."

"So, when I bumped into you in the hall this morning, you had just been at the 2010 reunion? Come to think of it, you did ask me about a reunion and wondered how I got here..."

"Yeah, I hadn't realized it was 7 years in the future, yet, so I was a little confused, to say the least. Especially when you called me honey," he chuckles.

"Oh, because we weren't even dating back then, were we? Well, dating again..."

He shakes his head. "Not, yet. I hadn't told you about my secret, yet, either," he says, shaking his head at how silly it all seems now. She squeezes his hand for reassurance.

"Hey, Smallville, things turned out okay," she shrugs, teasing him.

"Yeah, they're decent," he winks at her.

"Oh my God," Lois says, covering her mouth with her free hand. "The 2010 version of you saved me on the roof today, didn't he?"

"Yes...I was busy stopping a nuclear explosion," he says, proudly, adjusting his tie.

"But..." she almost couldn't say it out loud.

"What?" Clark asks, leaning in a little.

"I kissed him," she whispers. "I'm sorry, Clark, I didn't know," she says, shaking her head.

"Lois," he chuckles, "...it was me and I was there, so I know what happened."

"I feel terrible...wait a minute, why should I feel terrible? You knew it was going to happen and you knew it was going to happen today," she says, visibly toying with her ring. "That's why you had these appraised today, isn't it? You didn't want your past self to realize we were married? And you let me just kiss him...er, you like that?"

Now she was getting annoyed.

"Lois..."

"No, the least you could have done was let me in on this little secret. I wouldn't have said anything..." 

"And you wouldn't have acted as normally and naturally as you had. I needed to see that. How things were...are with us..."

She sits back and stares at the salad the waiter just dropped off. "This is confusing. My head is starting to hurt," she says, rubbing her temple.

Clark chuckles and picks up his fork.

"So...I left the roof and you, what, poofed back to 2010?" she asks before taking a bite of salad. "I mean the 2010Clark isn't lurking around anywhere, is he?"

"No, he's gone. Brainiac5 took me...him back to 2010. Then, you and I danced for like 30 seconds and the reunion was over," he shrugs.

Lois thinks back and smiles. "Right...you looked so sad when the music ended."

"Hey, I practically missed the whole date. I felt bad. Plus, I had just come back from the future, saw how good things were with us and I couldn't wait to start..."

She finishes chewing the bite of salad she had in her mouth. "Start?"

"Start our new life together. Let's just say that I needed to set things straight...with my past, present and future."

Her mind wanders. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first time we told each other 'I love you', isn't it?"

He nods. "Yes it is..."

"And this whole trip to the future was what prompted the disco ball in the barn thing?" she asks, waving her fork around.

"Yes."

"Hmmm," she smiles. "All because you saw how good you had it here in the future?" she asks smugly.

He chuckles. "Yes...something like that."

"Wait, how did you know I wouldn't mention Caroline?" she asks, suddenly realizing he took care of making sure 2010Clark didn't know they were married, but they talk about their daughter frequently. There wasn't a way of preventing that.

"I didn't. I just took a chance," he shrugs.

"Wow," she says, thinking about it and shaking her head. "What if the 2010Clark had found out that you and I...I mean he and I were married AND had a 4 year old daughter? Do you think he...you, would have been freaked out?"

"No, I don't think I would have freaked out. I was already processing the fact that you knew about my abilities and how supportive you were of me and my secret, what's a couple more things?" he smiles and reaches over for her hand.

She stares at him for a moment. "This is a lot to process. I don't know how you were able to keep it all straight."

He smiles and looks down at his almost empty plate. "Let's just say I'm well versed at multi-tasking things in my life."

"Yes, you are. Well, if going through what you went through today means we got to be where we are today, then I'm glad I could help in any way I could. I love you, Smallville, and I wouldn't change our life for anything."

He leans over, his lips a breath away from hers. "Me either."


End file.
